Abstract

A major development in ancient dietary analysis has been the introduction and advancement of various biomolecular techniques. Tracing lipids, proteins, stable isotopes and DNA preserved in ancient sample matrices allows us to trace back direct evidence of past culinary practices ranging from foodstuffs cooked in single vessels to individual dietary biographies. However, each of these methods have their own analytical biases and limitations as they are inevitably compromised by their chemo-physical properties, as well as degradation and taphonomic processes. In this talk I will first introduce the main analytical techniques used in ancient dietary analysis, highlighting the main strengths and weaknesses of each method. Thereafter, I exemplify the importance of multi-proxy and multi-method analytical approach combining different molecular classes and sample types to maximise our knowledge on past foodways, building on the wide range of case studies from eastern Baltic prehistory.

The link to join the lecture online is here: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/3693237776111?p=raZyEwVDtKHkBu2fP9